Tang and Five Dynasties Paint Theory

Author: He Zhiming, Pan Yungao (compilers)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2002-04-04
Features: The Tang Dynasty was an era of poetry, giving rise to many poems about paintings, many of which were highly exquisite. This book selects some works of painting poems by four renowned poets of the Tang Dynasty—Li Bai, Du Fu, Bai Juyi, and Yuan Zhen—to offer a glimpse. Reading these poems feels like seeing the paintings themselves. These painting poems use the scenes in paintings as true landscapes, expressing the poets' aesthetic appreciation for realistic painting. For example, Li Bai's "Seeking Cui Mountain's Hundred-Foot Cliff's Stormy Shower Painting": "Dragon pools spray upward, generating thunder and wind day and night." Du Fu's "Painted Eagle": "Its body thinks of, side eyes seem like worried Hu; The ribbon's light is worth plucking, the hall's can be called." Bai Juyi's "Song of Painted Bamboo": "Painted stems are lean, joints stand upright"; "Painted branches are lively, leaves move." Yuan Zhen's "Painted Pine": "Zhang Jiao painted ancient pines, often capturing their spirit and bones. The verdant brush sweeps spring breeze; The dry dragon claps winter moon." They demanded that paintings be "realistic," as Li Bai said, "just like real," "making one's heart distant and dream of high hills and colorful clouds," thus achieving pleasure, "events can entertain, from this comes tranquility." To achieve "realism," Du Fu's "Comic Poem on Wang Zai's Painted Landscape Scroll" proposed: "Ten days to paint one river, five days to paint one mountain. True talent is not rushed, Wang Zai finally left a true trace." This is a good expression. Artistic creation, including painting, is indeed "not rushed." Tang and Five Dynasties painting theory is very rich, but here only a brief general introduction is provided, aiming to give readers a basic understanding of Tang and Five Dynasties painting theory.